His Name Was Isaac (Completed)

11. The River

THAT NIGHT

SOUTH OF RIGGS STATION

Sitting underneath the cool night sky, Arthur and Isaac huddled together around a warm campfire that they built mere minutes ago, cooking a rabbit over its crackling flames.

At the moment, Isaac was wrapped up in a blanket and resting against a boulder, lazily watching the rabbit cook as he slowly rotated the spit. Meanwhile, Arthur leaned back against a tree and gazed upwards, taking in the millions of stars dusting the sky as they flickered sporadically.

It was close to midnight now, as far as Arthur could tell. The two of them traveled for several hours after leaving Blackwater, and decided to take a break once they crossed the Upper Montana River.

Fortunately, Arthur hadn't seen any other signs of the Pinkertons following his encounter with Agent Ross, and the Van der Lindes appeared to be nowhere either.

Right now, it was just the two of them at this camp. The wilderness around them was quiet with emptiness, and the only sounds that broke the silence were the chirping of crickets, and the distant howling of coyotes.

Everything was peaceful.

Despite their calm state however, Arthur couldn't stop thinking about the deal Agent Ross proposed to him earlier. For some reason, that man's words embedded themselves in Arthur's brain like a nail in wood, and the outlaw found himself preoccupied with about a thousand different questions. None of which he had the answers to.

Every fiber in his being doubted that Ross was being sincere with his offer, and Arthur knew better than to blindly throw his trust around, but as a father who cared about nothing more than the safety of his own child, he couldn't help but wonder if, perhaps, there was some truth to Edgar's deal.

Surely, Agent Fordham would protest if Ross went back on his word. That young man made his moral standing rather clear during the bank robbery in Blackwater, and a small part of Arthur hoped he'd be able to sway his superior's mind the same way he did when Dutch took that woman hostage.

Maybe then, Isaac would have a chance at starting a normal life. This world of outlaws was the last thing Arthur wanted for his son, and if there was any chance he could prevent Isaac from going down the same road he did as a boy, he'd take it in a heartbeat.

He just hoped Isaac wouldn't fight against it.

"...Dad?" The boy said softly, bringing Arthur back to reality. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" He replied, picking up on the young man's serious tone. Isaac seemed to be in a much more solemn state than before, and just by listening to the kid's voice, Arthur could tell something was wrong.

He guessed he wasn't the only one with a lot on his mind.

"...I wanted to say I'm sorry." Isaac finally answered.

Arthur gave him a puzzled look. "Sorry? For what?"

"For everything I've done." He explained. "I've... been thinkin' about it for a while, and I'm just now realizing how much damage I've caused over these past couple o' weeks. Especially to you and your gang. I wanted to kill Shay so badly that I was willing to risk those who did nothing wrong to me. I put you in danger. I killed Cleet. I took you away from Dutch. And now, because of everything I did, it's possible he'll want to take revenge on us. I've caused so many issue due to my own greed, and... I didn't even take a moment to think about it. I didn't care."

Isaac lowered his head in shame, unable to look Arthur in the eye. "I shoulda listened to you back there. I'm sorry, Dad."

Arthur had to admit, he was a tad surprised at the sudden confession. He knew Isaac was no killer deep inside, but he didn't realize how much these past few days had actually affected him.